STH Ten Years Later
by Ssjshadic
Summary: A tale about a darkened Mobius, where Robotnik has managed to win at last, burning and creating destruction wherever he steps. Out of the handful of Mobians who have survived, only one has the potential to be Mobius' hero - Miles "Tails" Prower.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Way Things Never Were

**Part 1**

The scene is set within one of the few remaining trees on Mobius, where we see a shadowed, wheelchair bound figure writing by candlelight in the grayish hours before nightfall.

* * *

_'This life, if you can call it living, is one that I hope whoever finds this, if it's ever found, will never have to experience. We used to be the revered heroes of this wonderful world, Mobius. Every time Robotnik tried to destroy our beloved forests and lush woodlands, we would be there to see to it that his schemes went up in flames. He never quit, but neither did we, and so was the balance of life on our peaceful planet. But then, everything just went completely to Hell. Robotnik disappeared for a long while, and we thought that we had finally won eternal peace. Little did we suspect that he was only lulling us into a false sense of security, and we all fell for it. When we were positive that he was gone forever, he attacked with unrelenting force, burning everything that stood in his path. I can still hear the screams of the innocent Mobians as they watched their loved ones die slowly right in front of them. I can still smell the sickeningly sweet scent of their burning flesh, I can still see the damn Doctor's face as he laughed with perverse thrill at the sight before him. I suppose it is hard to forget, when I am reminded every waking moment of what he did to me. At first, I occasionally got caught in moments of faulty memory, for I would move as if to stand, only to realize again that the bastard had taken off everything down from the kneecaps. I would have suffered further, had my friends not been there to save me. The hatred I feel for him grew a thousand times over, and I can still feel that hatred smoldering within my soul. So powerfully overwhelming is this hatred, that I'm still waiting for it to be overwhelmed by sadness, the sadness which has led my few remaining friends to contemplate suicide as a favorable alternative to this life. I find it hard to blame them for harboring such feelings, as Robotnik's army has only grown more.. varied, for lack of a better term. It was difficult enough with the tens of thousands of walking Mechs, which go for the straightforward tactic of hundreds of rounds of bullets to eliminate targets, but Robotnik's just gotten more creative. Now we have to worry ourselves with assassination bots, fire-breathing tunnelers and others I don't care to name. It's gotten to the point where we've had to learn to sleep during the day, and move only after dark.'_

The unknown figure ceased the movements of his pen, having heard footsteps familiar to him. Tucking the pages of his journal away in a sleeve on the back of his wheelchair, the unknown hero rotated his confining device so he was facing the doorway. With smooth, swift movements which had clearly been practiced countless times before, he rolled up to the entrance of his quarters, which opened up into a wide, large hallway. Looking up, he saw a face which he could not help but crack a smile at seeing. His companion smiled back, his face the same as it had been ten years ago, all but for the eyes. Eyes which had seen more than such a youthful lad such as he should have to see, yet also burned with the flames of a fighter.

"Ready for today's lesson, Tails?"

The two tailed fox nodded, stepping aside to make room for his handicapped teacher.

"Always, Sonic."

**Part 2**

The setting is set once again near one of the last trees on Mobius. We see a wheelchair bound Sonic, with his pupil Tails, on the edge of the small miniature fortress of trees which surrounded their base.

* * *

Sonic rolled his mobile chair up to a terminal on the outskirts of The Green Hill Zone's final line of defense, and turned to his young friend.

"Let's do a check on the AA installments before we start our laps around the moat."

Smiling, Tails took from a small pouch a microchip, and inserted it into the terminal. A second later, a holographic image of a red and yellow robot appeared before the two companions. Sonic tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair as Tails went through the routine check.

"Good evening, Omega. Any holes to report in the system?"

The robot's image blurred momentarily before replying.

"None, Tails. All counter-attack systems are prepared to activate within a moments notice."

"Perfect. Initiate surveillance mode."

Sonic snapped his fingers, and added to Tails' request.

"And put up the sound-proof barrier while you're at it."

Tails gave Sonic a questioning look, but the blue hedgehog only grinned back.

"Sound-proof barrier active. Surveillance mode initiated. External access to the fortress is now prohibited."

Smiling, the handicapped hero rolled away, with a confused young Tails at his side.

"But Sonic, I can't even get up to the speed of sound, not even with these ten years of training. What makes you think I'll suddenly be able to SURPASS sonic speed now?"

"That's today's lesson, little buddy."

Sonic reached into the compartment where his journal was hidden, and from it, he produced a gleaming power ring.

"You're gonna learn how to use THIS today."

Tails could only stare, having only used protective golden rings, but never a power ring.

* * *

The scene shifts to inside the base, where Amy Rose has begun moving down the hallway, starting her nightly routine.

* * *

Amy dreaded having to walk down her corridor to make the boys their breakfast, because she always had to pass by the holding cells. Only one of her group of friends had ever been admitted, but it scared the hell out of those who survived. His name was Vector, former member and leader of Chaotix. He had lost his mind when Robotnik attacked his family, and Vector only survived because of the terrifying transformation within his heart and soul on that day. He had eaten his headphones, his gloves had been shredded by his claws, and he attacked Robotnik's forces with the raw power of an angry crocodile. Each day was different, but they had to confine him until his sanity was cured. She could hear his sobs as she passed by the entrance to the holding cells, she heard him mumbling.

"Find the computer room... Charmy... Turn down work that pays..."

Clearing her mind of the ugliness of Vectors situation, Amy hurried into the pantry. Taking only what was necessary to feed Sonic and Tails breakfast, she grabbed a loaf of bread, a pint of water and two uncooked hot dogs before rushing into what was the kitchen. Cooking up the hotdogs and heating the bread, Amy managed to use spare condiments to create makeshift chili dogs, making a form of lemonade by squeezing the juices out of one into two cups of water. Her work was suddenly brought to a halt when she heard a deafening sonic boom on the outskirts of the fortress, nearly causing her to drop the precious meal. Before she could regain her full composure, however, she was startled by a tap on her shoulder. She turned, and, seeing that it was a friend behind her, sighed with relief.

"Good evening, Espio."

The ninjutsu trained chameleon nodded in Amy's general direction, his eyes having been rendered useless years ago.

"Forgive me if I startled you, Miss Rose. I was checking to see that everything was in order for the journey we must make once the hedgehog and his pupil have completed their training. That loud boom caught me off guard, and I suspect it woke up the entire base. It's just as well, since we'll have to get a move on before midnight. What's to eat, if I may ask?"

"Espio, you should know better than t-"

"It's not for me. It's for..."

The purple chameleon was at a loss for words, and Amy understood then. Hastily, she broke spare pieces of her improvised chili dog buns and silently handed them to Espio. Nodding gravely, the horned ninja smiled graciously before disappearing, blending in with his surroundings once more.

**Part 3**

The scene is once again set outside one of the many bases of Sonic and his surviving friends, where we see Big the Cat pacing alone around the grand tree, passing by Amy as she carries Sonic and Tails' breakfast to them.

* * *

Amy smiled kindly at her old friend, Big, as he passed by her, regardless of the fact that she knew the fish-loving cat never smiled anymore. No one blamed him for it, since he hadn't had much reason to smile at all in the past ten years. His closest friend, a frog simply named Froggy, had died years ago, and he had been rendered mute by Robotnik while being tortured for information. The then fat cat was born with more than a slight mental disability, and didn't understand the villain when being questioned. In a fit of rage, Robotnik had his tongue cut off, rendering him completely speechless, before leaving him for dead in the middle of nowhere. Big had to wait for weeks before his friends finally found him, and by that time, he had been irreversibly changed from the friendly cat he once was. His fat had mostly withered away, along with his already disabled mind, leaving only the bare minimum of fat and muscle necessary to sustain his huge body. Having been relieved of his tongue, he could no longer taste anything, and as a result, he would eat anything. His sanity had been left intact, fortunately, and he still seemed to have retained the same morals he had kept his whole life. But other than that, his body was a soulless shell, a walking corpse, only living because he wasn't yet dead, only surviving out of habit. Still, Amy felt that they had been lucky to have found him, because he was still a considerable fighter to contend with if provoked, and was responsible with carrying the heaviest of the load when they moved from one base to another each month. Feeling herself tear up, Amy rushed off to find Sonic and Tails.

* * *

Meanwhile, in one of the smaller surrounding trees, we see Tails tangled in the vines of a Weeping Willow, still gripping the power ring.

* * *

"Well, this is embarrassing."

The prodigious young fox gazed down to the ground below to see Sonic rolling up beneath him. The blue hedgehog cracked a smile, pressing a button on the side of the armrest of his wheelchair. The wheels disassembled, reconnecting with the underside of each armrest, transforming into extendable steel poles. Pushing another button, Sonic rose up to meet his pupil in the tree, holding out his hand.

"Let me have the power ring for a minute, then grab onto just one vine."

Tails did as he was told, using his now free hand to grip tightly one of the vines. Securing the power ring on his wrist, Sonic took a knife out from a sheathe attached to the back of his chair. With trained precision and swiftness, the blue hedgehog slashed all the vines surrounding Tails except the one he was holding onto. Returning his knife to its sheathe, the handicapped hero tossed the tangled vines aside, and the young fox leapt down, hovering down to the ground safely. Pressing the same two buttons again, Sonic lowered himself to the ground, the poles changing back into wheels.

"That was an incredible display, Tails. You succeeded on your first try!"

Sonic smiled proudly, but Tails shook his head.

"What do you mean? That was a total botch! I couldn't maintain any control whatsoever!"

"Don't feel bad because of that. You're expecting too much of yourself. The test was to break the sound barrier and learn how to use the power ring, both of which you passed. Control will come later on, with more practice. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like we'll have time to work on that tonight."

Sonic pointed out Amy to Tails as she approached, continuing to speak as they walked to meet her.

"So, after we eat and get packed for the trip, we'll practice a little sparring while everyone else gets ready."

Tails smiled, he was never able to stay unhappy for long around Sonic. They stopped as Amy walked up to them, handing them each a tray with their chili dogs and lemonade. Seeing the power ring on Sonic's wrist, the pink hedgehog scolded him.

"Sonic, you can't be making those sonic booms with that ring of yours. You'll overheat the wheelchair Tails made for you, _AGAIN_, and then you won't be able to teach him until he fixes it for you! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT?! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!"

Sonic was chuckling, which made Amy start growing red in the face. Tails knew what his friend and teacher was laughing about, but kept his head down, grinning subtly.

"That was part of tonights lesson, Amy."

"WHAT?! LEARNING HOW TO ENDANGER LIVES?!"

Sonic suddenly became somber, calmly answering Amy's question before starting on his chili dog.

"No. I'm teaching Tails how to use the power ring, and run at supersonic speed. As you obviously heard, he succeeded quite quickly."

Sonic smiled as he ate, watching Amy's anger disappear, her gaze turning to Tails. She stared, completely taken by surprise that little Tails had accomplished such a feat. She had always thought of him as just a kid with a mind for mechanics, never viewing him as someone who could actually be on par with someone like Sonic. She smiled and nodded.

"Oh. I see. I'm impressed."

Tails felt his face blush, not used to being praised the way Sonic always used to be. Everything was quiet for a moment, before a yell from inside the grand tree broke the silence.

"HEY! WHERE THE HELL IS MY MEAL?! SERVING GIRL, GIMME MY DAMN BREAKFAST!"

Amy sighed, gritting her teeth, glaring.

"That'll be the big bad bat."

Exasperated, Amy walked back to get some food from the pantry, calling back to Sonic and Tails.

"Bring your trays inside when you're done!"

With that, she disappeared back inside, leaving the two to eat their breakfast.

* * *

We shift our attention to the kitchen, where we see a cranky Rogue loafing in a chair leaning back against the wall.

* * *

Amy entered the kitchen, her face giving away no emotion as she placed a mug of water on the wood stove with a slice of blueberry bread which served as Rogue's muffin. The former government agent stared up at the ceiling, stroking the metal sheets that acted as her right wing. She had been in the middle of an attempt to steal the Master Emerald when Robotnik attacked ten years ago, but she had joined Sonic's cause when she returned. She was there mostly because Omega had convinced her to, back when he still had his robotic body. Had Omega not been involved, she would never have agreed to it unless she could be guaranteed jewels as a reward. As a consequence of joining, her right wing had been completely shredded in a particularly heated battle against Robotnik's forces. She had been told to protect Tails at any cost, which was what she had done during the fight, and now, she regretted it. As Amy handed Rogue her breakfast, she snapped at her as she took it.

"About damn time."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Sacrifices

**Part 1**

We again set the scene within one of the last forests on Mobius, where we see that Tails and Sonic have finished their breakfast.

* * *

"Could you take my tray back to the kitchen for me, Tails? I'll be waiting out here for you once you get packed."

Tails smiled and nodded, taking Sonics empty tray with him as he walked towards the tree. Turning around in his wheelchair, Sonic moved back towards the computer terminal near the outskirts of the forest.

"Omega. Pull up the file for those killed in action or otherwise within the past ten years."

The holographic image of the red and yellow android appeared once again, flickering momentarily before disappearing, showing, one by one, the faces which corresponded with an alphabetical list of names the computer spoke.

"Charmy the bee... Cheese Chao... Cream the rabbit..."

The blue hedgehog sighed, listening to the rhythmic list of names with his head laid back, his eyes closed. He had listened to the names of his deceased friends hundreds of times over the last decade, just to help remind himself what their names sounded like. It had been made an unspoken, unofficial rule some time ago that no one was to speak the names of those that had died. It made everyone too emotional, and everyone already had their own scars to bear as it was. Sonic, however, privately found it helpful to hear his the names of his fallen friends occasionally. The only thing that bothered him was knowing that there would be one name not on the list, someone whose body had not been found, yet also had not been seen by any of the other survivors in the past decade. As Omega's voice continued listing names, Sonic asked out loud to himself a question he had asked many times.

"Where the hell are you, you damn knucklehead?"

"Jet the Hawk... M-gh-y the a-mid-llo..."

The wheelchair bound hero's eyes snapped open.

"WAIT! OMEGA, PAUSE PLAYBACK!"

The computer's vocalized list of the victims ceased, awaiting a new command. Sonic was dumbstruck, having never heard the computer have trouble with any of his friends names before.

_'Then again, this is the first time I've listened to the list since Omega sacrificed his body to save Tails. That was only a few months ago, actually...'_

* * *

We leave the pondering Sonic, turning our attention to Tails, who has paused outside the entrance to the kitchen, hearing himself mentioned in an argument between Amy and Rogue.

* * *

"What's the POINT?! The kid has had ten damn years to train, and we STILL haven't made a DENT in the doctor's forces! We haven't even made an ATTEMPT to! The stupid fox clearly isn't getting any stronger, meanwhile, the robots just keep coming!"

Amy responded quietly, careful to keep her temper in check as she spoke.

"You know why we haven't made any major attacks yet."

"NO! I don't! I really DON'T! The longer we wait, the more of a disadvantage we put ourselves at! We already lost Omega because he was protecting that worthless brat! HELL, the kid got himself INTO a position to get himself killed in the first place!"

Outside the entrance to the kitchen, Tails quietly placed the two trays and glasses near the doorway and slowly made his way back outside, remembering what Omega had done to save the young fox from certain death.

* * *

Flashback to months ago, in the Ice Cap Zone.

* * *

_"Take this microchip and flee! It contains a backup of my unique data!"_

_"I'm not just going to ABANDON you, Omega! We can get out of this, both of us!"_

_But Omega had already ejected the small chip from the back of his head, arming one of his guns and aiming for Tails, threatening to shoot if the fox did not leave. Left with no other choice, Tails flew up into the air, while Omega shut down all other functions, diverting all power to his flamethrowers._

_"All power redirected to battle functions! Overheat is imminent!"_

_The avalanche Omega was holding back melted into a flood of water, burying the powerful android beneath tons of slush and ice._

_"OMEGA!"_

* * *

End of flashback.

* * *

"Tails?"

The young fox looked up, surprised to find himself already back outside, standing before the wheelchair bound Sonic.

"Didn't take you long to pack up. You ready for our sparring session?"

Feeling the weight of Rogue's words moments earlier, his mind clouded by frustration and self-doubt, Tails answered by sprinting towards Sonic, leaping at him and swinging his tails around like clubs at Sonics head. Sonic blocked both tails with his left arm, grabbing his students foot with his right arm and flipping him to the ground onto his back. Rolling back onto his hands, Tails pushed himself back onto his feet, still troubled as he propelled himself forward again. Tails veered off at the last second, kicking off the ground from Sonic's left for a aerial kick, which Sonic easily dodged by ducking his head, countering with a blow to Tails' stomach while he was in midair. Tails hit the ground, skidding a short distance before friction neutralized his momentum.

"Come on. You're fighting a crippled hedgehog in a wheelchair. Again, using only your fists! No kicks or tails!"

**Part 2**

We return our attention to the holding cells, where we see a hesitant Espio still holding the morsels Amy had given him, standing near Vectors cell.

* * *

Espio sighed, forcing himself to move forward, having finally gathered the courage to see his old friend Vector in his insane violet chameleon made himself visible, standing before his friend, who was currently gnawing the steel bars of his prison with his powerful jaws. The crocodiles eyes were tainted by the delusions of his mind, so he didn't recognize Espio, growling as his eyes turned vicious.

"Vector, I.. I brought you some food."

Espio tossed in the bits of bread, which Vector hungrily ate. While the former detective was distracted, Espio took out a tranquilizer needle, slowly opening the cell door. Despite his efforts, Vector still heard him, and when he saw the needle, attacked, lunging forward with open jaws. Leaping to dodge, Espio circled around, landing on the angry crocodiles back, stabbing the injection into Vector's bloodstream. For a few minutes, the dazed reptile struggled, before collapsing, unconscious, to the floor. Having completed his task, Espio fitted Vector with a straitjacket, hauling his old friend out of his cell.

"Forgive me, my friend. I take no pleasure in being the one who has to assault you like this..."

* * *

We return our attention to the kitchen, where we see Amy sitting alone, Rouge having left to prepare for the trip to the nearest base.

* * *

Amy gripped her chair tightly, struggling to maintain control over her temper.

_'Rouge needs to stop her whining. We DID try attacking Robotnik directly, right from the beginning, multiple times. SHE was just too busy with her treasure hunting to help.'_

Amy sighed, remembering how many friends they had lost in those first few attacks on Robotnik as she stood up, taking out a pouch of seeds, gripping it in her hand.

* * *

We again change the scene, seeing Tails sitting on the ground, panting, leaning against a tree, Sonic in his wheelchair beside him.

* * *

Tails glared at the ground, panting slightly. Sonic sighed, gazing up into the night sky.

"I can't take you with me if you're this distracted."

"Take me with you where?"

"First, what's on your mind? You weren't half into the sparring session just now."

Tails tightened his hand into a fist, his mind still clouded with doubt and frustration.

"Sonic..."

"Hm?"

"Am I.. am I really getting any stronger? Have I grown at all after all this time?"

"Nope. You're still the same weak kid who can't fight. You're only useful in terms of your mechanical skills."

Tails looked up at Sonic, who smiled at his young student. Tails smirked, the tension in his mind beginning to ease.

"I thought so. Okay, now where are we going?"

Sonics smile faded, his expression becoming serious. Despite this, Tails was able to recognize the adventurous gleam in the blue hero's eye.

"Well, it'll mean splitting up, which won't sit well with Amy, but you, Big and I are go-"

At that moment, Sonic was cut off by a siren sounding off, with Omega's voice broadcasting to the everyone else in the base.

"WARNING! SECURITY BREACH! MULTIPLE THREATS APPROACHING! WARNING! SECURITY BREACH!"

"NO! THEY FOUND US!"

Tails jumped to his feet, Sonic calling out to a still patrolling Big.

"BIG! Run inside and give Espio a hand with Vector! Tails, go find Amy! The two of you pack up all the supplies we can carry! We have to be prepared in case this goes any further South!"

Big ran into the huge central tree, Tails following close behind as he shouted back to Sonic.

"What're you gonna do?"

"What else? I'm gonna FIGHT!"

Sonic grinned, the adventurous gleam still in his eye, waiting anxiously for Robotniks robots to appear.

"Bring it."

**Part 3**

The scene returns to Mobius, where we see Sonic, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Robotnik's forces.

* * *

_'Alright. What's the doc going to send at us this time around?'_

At that moment, two large robotic worms leapt out of the ground like fish, one coming at Sonic from either side of him. Sighing disappointedly, the blue hedgehog simply uppercut the two attackers simultaneously with both his fists, sending them flying up into the air before crashing down to earth in a heap.

"Come ON, Doc! Regular old Tunnelers? Seriously?"

As Sonic questioned out loud, another Tunneler appeared from underground in front of him, opening its mechanical jaws and releasing a hot stream of flames. Turning sharply in his wheelchair, the now-excited hero sped around the fire-breathing Tunneler. Reaching into the pocket where his journal was kept, he produced an extendable metal rod, smashing his foe in half with a single swing.

"Ah-ha! That's much better! Fire-breathing Tunnelers! Not bad!"

_'Damn. This is the worst possible place for a situation like this. This base is the last of what's left of the Green Hill Zone. If a forest fire starts here, this Zone is done for.'_

Sonic's thoughts were interrupted as he was confronted with first five, then ten more enemies, zig-zagging between them to avoid their flames.

_'As long as Amy can salvage our secret weapon, it'll be fine.'_

* * *

We avert our attention away from Sonic, to Tails and Amy, both packing as much of their supplies as is possible.

* * *

"Okay, Tails! That about does it! Go back outside and help Sonic!"

Tails paused at the entryway to the storage room.

"What're you going to do?"

"I've got a few more things to gather, then I've gotta make sure the big bad bat is alive. The rest of us will be out to meet up with you in a bit!"

Tails nodded, rushing out to help Sonic fight off the attackers. Amy shoved aside piles of surplus supplies, opening a hidden metal safe. Reaching in, the pink hedgehog pulled out a small, brown leather pouch, handling it with extreme care as she tied it securely to her waist. Picking up a metallic hammer larger than herself, Amy ran out of storage room towards Rouge's room.

* * *

We return to the battle outside, the flames of the Tunnelers lighting up the night.

* * *

Sonic threw his staff like a spear, sailing through several Tunnelers, disabling them and nailing them to a tree. Retrieving his weapon, the blue hedgehog turned to see that the number of Tunnelers was still growing, the size of his wheelchair making it increasingly difficult to avoid them all, despite his speed.

_'I can't move any faster with this wheelchair. The stupid thing has fallen to pieces even when I haven't used the power rings.' _

The Tunnelers leapt gracefully, moving through the ground swiftly, their attacks coordinated and putting greater and greater pressure on the handicapped hero with their sheer numbers. Suddenly, a yellow beam of energy shot out from behind Sonic, destroying several of the fire-breathing mechanical worms. Smirking, Sonic twirled his metallic staff, making a provocative gesture with his left hand as Tails stepped up with his arm cannon equipped.

"Nice shot, Tails."

The young fox grinned before responding.

"Time to kick ass, right, Sonic?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, buddy. Bring it on, Doc!"

As the duo prepared to counterattack, the Tunnelers unexpectedly disappeared back underground.

"Wait, what the hell?"

At that moment, as Amy, Rouge, Espio and Big, carrying an unconscious Vector, ran out of the entrance to their base, the ground began rumble. Out of the very spot of earth that had previously been occupied by over 50 Tunnelers emerged a gigantic fire-breathing Mech over 80 feet in diameter. Tails stared in awe and nervousness at the huge mechanical beast, looking to his long-time partner for orders. The prodigious fox was amazed to see that Sonic still retained the adventurous gleam in his eyes, grinning with anxious excitement.

"Wherever you are, Fatass... You've gotten my attention with this one."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Skylar

**Part 1**

The scene is reset to Mobius, where an enormous Tunneler now threatens what little remains of the precious Green Hill Zone.

* * *

The gigantic worm-like machine gnashed its metallic teeth, as Sonic concernedly looked toward Tails, who was trembling slightly.

_'Poor kid. He keeps trying to act tough, but...'_

The hedgehog's thoughts were halted as his long-time companion gave a great yell, his tone unusually frustrated and hostile.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"

The shouting Tails pointed an accusing finger at the huge Tunneler before him.

"Where'd YOU come from, you damn ugly ass?!"

Sonic was only momentarily perplexed before his expression changed to one of understanding, quietly speaking to his prodigious friend in a questioning tone of voice.

"Tails?"

The young fox briefly turned his head to face the handicapped hedgehog, his normally blue eyes now crimson.

"SKYLAR, SKYLAR, DAMMIT! I TOLD YOU, MY NAME IS SYKLAR!"

The one-sided conversation was interrupted as the Tunneler lunged forward, jaws open. Sonic backed up his wheelchair with amazing speed, while the self-proclaimed Skylar leapt high into the air, hovering with his two tails as the Tunnelers body dug another huge hole before resurfacing near the huge tree which Amy and co. had just exited.

"HEY YOU ASSHOLE, GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS! I SWEAR, I'M GOING TO RIP OUT THOSE JAWS OF YOURS AND MAKE YOU CHOKE ON 'EM!"

Sonic cringed at the angry fox' choice of words, smiling to himself nonetheless.

_'He's come out at a time like this... This might work to our advantage.'_

Whipping his wheelchair around towards his mechanical enemy, the handicapped hedgehog shouted to his airborne ally.

"SKYLAR! This Tunneler wants to make a burning wasteland of what's left of the Green Hill Zone! You gonna let that happen?"

The red-eyed fox responded aggressively, seemingly unable to communicate in any other tone of voice.

"HELL NO! C'MERE, YOU DAMN PIECE OF TIN FOIL!"

With that, Skylar charged forward through the air, powering up and firing his arm cannon at the mechanical creature simultaneously. Turning his attention to Amy and the others, who had moved to a somewhat safer location, Sonic yelled out orders.

"Big! See if you can slow that thing down! Espio! Use your camouflage to get Omega without being seen! Rouge! Get in close and see if you can find that things weak point! Amy, you stay with Vector. MOVE!"

Big lay Vector down and ran behind Sonic toward the huge Tunneler. Espio turned in Amy's general direction, whispering.

"Don't let him get hurt..."

The violet chameleon vanished, silently rushing to his objective. Rouge scoffed, grumbling to herself as she took to the air.

"Always bossing me around..."

Amy sat near her unconscious friend, metallic hammer in hand, concern etched on her face as she watched Skylar fly past overhead.

_'Tails...'_

**Part 2**

We return to Mobius, though not in the present, but in the past, a few short weeks after Robotnik's horrific attack 10 years ago.

* * *

_"Dissociative Identity Disorder?"_

_Amy nodded in response to Sonic's inquiry, her expression sad and somber. The two hedgehogs were alone in a small room in one of Robotnik's old bases, having managed to stay hidden from the villains machines temporarily._

_"Amy, when exactly did you become an expert in psychowhoosis?_

_Amy's face turned hot and red, and she looked away._

_"Psychology, Sonic. I.. had been reading up on it to see if I could figure out some way to make you want to marry me."_

_Sonic, in spite of himself, rolled his eyes as Amy continued._

_"But then, I actually became interested in the stuff, and I decided to become an expert in case one of us had a breakdown of some kind. You know, from all the hero stuff we have to do."_

_The crippled blue hedgehog's expression changed from one of exaggerated disdain to one of sudden admiration. _

_"Obviously, this... well, THIS, made me worry about everyone who didn't.."_

_The pink hedgehog paused to regain her composure before continuing._

_"Didn't get killed. But I had suspicions about Tails' condition long before now."_

_"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME SOONER THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG?!"_

_Sonic's tone was too harsh even for him, causing him to physically recoil at his own words. Amy snapped back at him, as everyone had been in the past few days._

_"BECAUSE I NOTICED IT WHEN WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF RESCUING YOU!"_

_The discussion went dead momentarily, both of them waiting for the tension to dissolve. Amy was the first to speak again._

_"Tails was the first one into the chamber you were being held in, and he was the one who saw your legs being removed, whereas Omega and I came in after the deed had been done. Your blood.. god, it was everywhere, Tails was covered in it when I came in. If Omega hadn't been there to protect us from the Mechs that had taken you, you probably wouldn't be alive. He was the only who wasn't paralyzed with fear. But when I managed to shake myself back to reality, Tails was unconscious, apparently having suffered too much trauma to go on. Or so I thought..."_

_Sonic was listening intently at this point, and was struck with a sudden realization._

_"Wait.. I remember being half-awake while you were getting me off that metal table.. I was being held upright, the table was tilted.. I saw you and Tails, and I remember feeling so relieved that you were both okay. I said something to him, and he told me.. his name wasn't Tails, it was-"_

_"Skylar."_

_Sonic nodded, his mind slowly piecing together what the whole diagnosis meant as Amy spoke._

_"That's what I noticed. He was suddenly angry, about everything, he yelled at all of us, he didn't react to anything like he normally would have. But that wasn't what made me think of DID. It was what happened ne-"_

_Amy's speech was brought to a sudden halt as Sonic lifted up a hand to her. Grimly, the blue hero looked down at bandages that were wrapped around his knees, scooting off the bench where he had been sitting into the wheelchair Tails had made for him. _

_"Enough."_

_The pink hedgehog found herself unable to argue with her hero._

_"Does he know?"_

_Amy hesitated._

_"Does.. who know?"_

_"Tails."_

_"Know about what?"_

_The blue hedgehog's patience was wearing thin, his tone of voice growing increasingly frustrated._

_"You know what I'm talking about. Answer me. Does he know about what you've told me?"_

_Sighing, Amy whispered softly._

_"No..."_

_"Fine. I'll be the one to tell him."_

_"Sonic, he's still not ready to see you.. like this. He couldn't even bring himself to give you the wheelchair he made for you. He had to ask me to do it. The last thing he needs is to be reminded-"_

_The handicapped hedgehog shouted angrily._

_"TELL ME SOMETHING I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T EXPECT HIM TO BE READY TO SEE ME LIKE THIS! HOW CAN HE?! __**I'M**__ NOT READY TO SEE MYSELF LIKE THIS!"_

_For what seemed like eons, the only sound that could be heard in the room was Sonic's forced, frustrated breathing. _

_"I'm not going to give him any grief. I need to see him anyway, know that he's going to be okay. Now come on. If it's anyone's responsibility, it's mine."_

**Part 3**

The setting returns to the present, where we see Tails, having transitioned back to himself, sitting alone within the remnants of the Green Hill Zone.

* * *

"Aagh.. Where is everyone? Sonic? Amy? What's going on?"

The dazed fox sprang to his feet, noticing a multitude of trashed Tunnelers all around him.

_'That's right. The Tunnelers were attacking.. something big took their place, then...'_

"Yo, Tails!"

Sonic wheeled out from the underbrush to meet his student.

"Sonic, did I.. y'know, switch?"

"Yeah. Didn't expect it, but it turned out okay."

"Which one? Don't tell me it was-"

"Relax. It was just Skylar, which was actually perfect, since he's the only other one who knows about the EMP you built into your arm cannon."

Tails started, and anxiety grew in his tone of voice.

"The EMP?! What about your wheelchair? WHERE'S OMEGA!?"

"Calm down. Omega's fine, Espio took him with the others towards the next Zone. That huge Tunneler that attacked was actually made up of hundreds of smaller ones, so the EMP was the quickest way to destroy it."

Tails put a hand against his head, clearly stressed at having transitioned into Syklar at such a crucial moment.

"Come on, we've gotta go."

Tails nodded his head slightly to acknowledge Sonics words.

"We gonna catch up to the rest of the group?"

"Nope."

An expression of surprise again appeared on the young fox' face, which caused his wheelchair bound companion to smile.

"I'll explain on the way. We've really gotta move out. The EMP will probably lead every Mech within 10 miles here."

With that, Sonic whipped his mobile chair around, speeding off with Tails following closely behind him.

_'Ugh. I hate the trip between Zones.'_

At the edge of the forest, the two old friends crossed a small moat, the disturbingly eerie landscape stretching out for miles before them. To all who still survived, it seemed only a short time ago that the lush, green vegetation filled this barren landscape. Now, in it's stead, there lay nothing but bare ground, ashes of trees long since burned, ashes that had still yet to be swept up with the breeze. Where there had once been a waterfall flowing from a full yet gentle river. Once filled with lively trout, there was now only a vaguely damp groove in the earth, filled not with fish but with bones, though most were now eroded to dust with the flow of time. To the south lay the Labyrinth Zone, which had once been a water-filled maze, now filled with toxic chemicals that threatened to burn through flesh within seconds due to Robotnik's pollution. To the west was the Aquatic Ruin Zone, once a peaceful place filled with ponds and small bodies of water surrounded by ancient ruins overrun by vegetation, it was now a humid, hot place that had become known among the survivors as Mobius' filthiest swamp. Finally, to the east, where the duo was headed, was the Casino Night Zone, beyond which was the Ice Cap Zone.

"Sonic, that explanation you promised would be appreciated right about now."

The blue hedgehog turned to his old friend, smirking slightly, an easily recognizable gleam in his eye.

"I was going through the list of- er, going through Omega's files, and found something that caught my attention."

"What's that?"

"It was a file that I always checked whenever we ran a systems scan on Omega to check for any virus' or corrupted data. When I looked at it through Omega's memories uploaded onto that chip, the same file was corrupted. Incomplete."

Tails' eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows raised with interest.

"But that's..."

"I didn't think it would be possible, either. Omega would never put an incomplete file onto that microchip unless he had a reason. I figure that maybe he was trying to tell us that he found something in the Ice Cap Zone, but didn't have time to tell us before we were assaulted."

The two tailed fox couldn't help but smile, amused and excited by Sonic's plan.

"Sounds like an excuse to keep from going to those nasty swamps to me."

In spite of the tension of the moment, the two old friends shared a laugh as they sped toward their objective.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Family Ties

**Part 1**

The scene shows us Amy's group as they trek through the mucky swamps of the Aquatic Ruin Zone.

* * *

"I don't even wanna KNOW what half this crap is."

Rouge made a face of disgust as the group walked past the remnants of some unidentifiable creature that used to inhabit the once beautiful Zone.

"Finally, something we agree on."

Amy found herself struggling to keep her composure. She was hot, surrounded by a dense jungle of vines and filth, and she was growing increasingly concerned that Sonic and Tails hadn't caught up with them yet.

"Miss Rose?"

Amy turned to Espio, who had been exceptionally silent the whole night.

"Vector's starting to get too fidgety for Big to carry anymore. I think he wants to get into the water."

The violet chameleon turned towards the pink hedgehog, awaiting permission to let Vector loose from his bindings. Amy sighed, wishing Sonic were still around to give orders in her place.

"Alright, Espio. But you're responsible for making sure he doesn't stray off too far."

The blind ninjas face lit up, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

"Thank you, Miss Rose."

Espio backflipped through the air, landing at the rear of the group. Amy watched from up ahead as Espio used a throwing knife to let his old friend free. As Vector gleefully sped off into the muck-filled swamps, Espio following close behind, Amy thought back years ago when she had learned of Vector's mental instability.

* * *

We are shown a flashback of the same old hideout of Robotnik's, where Sonics group hid after the attack 10 years ago.

* * *

_Amy stepped out of Vector's chamber, a still-bandaged Espio anxiously awaiting the results of the session. _

_"Is he alright?"_

_Amy heaved a sigh, her face hiding how tired she truly felt. _

_"Physically, he's fine. His body is unnaturally tough. Mentally, though..."_

_The pink hedgehog's voice trailed off, afraid of telling Vector's oldest living friend what she had discovered. Espio's hands clenched into fists, his body tensed._

_"Please.. Miss Rose."_

_Trembling with sadness and utter exhaustion, Amy lifted her head slightly. _

_"He's.. not all there anymore. His mental state is dangerously unstable. Espio... Vector's lost all but a shred of his sanity."_

**Part 2**

We are returned to the present, where we see Vector moving calmly through the murky waters, with Espio close behind.

* * *

Vector made soft, content growls to himself as he glided along the swamp-like waters surface. Espio smiled sadly, his hypersensitive ears picking up the faint noise.

_'He's like a child. It's strange, though. I know he grew up surrounded by rivers and freshwater, but the essence of these marshlands alone seem to soothe his mind. His heartbeat is steady and measured.. It's as if this is the one place on all of Mobius where his sanity is temporarily restored.'_

The violet chameleon's thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Vector cried out, diving straight down in the middle of a particularly large body of water.

"VICTOR!"

Espio barely had any time to react before the large crocodile was underwater, the horned ninja landing at the edge of the swamp.

"Vector!"

Espio made a motion to dive in after his old friend, but as the water reached his bare skin on his legs, he froze. The purple chameleon felt himself sweating, forcing himself to calm his nerves as he focused his mind on the ripples Vector's powerful body made as he swam deeper into the depths.

_'What was that I felt just now? Such a strong reverberation.. It can't possibly be Vector.. could it? No, it's much bigger than that. What could-'_

Espio's thoughts were halted once again, as another, stronger reverberation resonated from deep under the swamps surface. Vector briefly came up to the surface, shouting to his old companion.

"Espio! I found Vict-"

The crocodile's words were lost as he was pulled back under the waters surface, the ninjutsu-trained chameleon aware of another heartbeat. It was unnaturally loud, which was fitting, for its host was unnaturally large. It was all Espio could do to avoid being eaten as a second crocodile crashed into the muddy shore. Espio leapt up into the air, hanging from the excessive growth of vines and weeds which covered the Zone's ancient ruins and pillars.

_'What IS that thing?! It's almost twice as big as Vector!'_

The huge creature roared, snapping its jaws and charging on all fours towards the ninjas position. Espio kicked off the pillar he had been hanging from just moments before the monstrous reptile smashed it to pieces.

_'I have to lead it away from Vector, give him a chance to escape.'_

Espio fled through the ruins, making as much noise as possible to ensure that the creature would follow. He soon learned that the creature didn't need to hear him to know where he was, as it smashed through more ruins, sprinting towards its prey. The night slowly wore on, the creature showing little, if any, signs of slowing down. Espio was beginning to tire, his breathing heavy and uneven.

_'How much stamina does this thing have? If I don't do something soon...'_

The ninjutsu-trained lizard made a sharp left turn, knowing that his pursuer would have trouble doing the same. To his alarm, the creature simply shifted it's weight onto its two back legs, allowing it to turn with agility unexpected for one of its size.

"BAD VECTOR! SIT!"

Amy rocketed out from beneath the underbrush, her metallic hammer smashing into the underside of the enormous crocodiles jaw. The monstrous reptile sustained only a minor bruise, however, and lurched forward, teeth bared.

"Miss Rose!"

Before the creature could complete its attack, Big, pouncing from behind Amy, tackled the huge beast to the ground, wrestling it into submission. The abnormally large crocodile, though twice Bigs size, was quickly pinned to the ground with the powerful cat on its back, flailing, its lethal jaws held tightly shut.

"What is that thing?!"

"I don't know where it could have possibly come from. But it's not a robot, that much I know."

Amy turned toward the exhausted ninja, her expression one of frustration, confusion and concern. Before the pink hedgehog could inquire further, however, the monstrous beast managed to wrap its tail around Bigs leg, easily tossing the cat aside. Big was sent crashing into an old pillar, partially buried by the resulting debris.

"BIG!"

**Part 3**

The scene is once again returned to the Aquatic Ruin Zone, where the monstrous crocodile prepares for another attack.

* * *

The huge beast roared, flashing its fangs briefly before charging toward the exhausted Espio, making a fist over its head. The horned ninja barely avoided the creatures blow, its fist smashing down into the thick, muddy ground. Amy took advantage of the creatures momentary immobility, slamming her hammer into its left leg. The beast sustained only a minor bruise, whipping its powerful tail into Amy's head, knocking her unconscious.

"Miss Rose!"

Espio made a move to help the injured pink hedgehog, but was caught by the throat, and slammed against an ancient stone wall. Big, having freed himself from the pile of debris, tried to tackle the creature, but the reptile was too fast, pinning the mute cat under its injured left leg. As Espio felt his airways being crushed, his thoughts couldn't be farther from survival.

_'Its hands... are freezing. Even for a cold-blooded creature, its body temperature is far below what it should be. Its heart is beating faster than it was just minutes ago.. Its.. terrified.'_

Espio's thoughts became steadily less coherent as his air supply was cut off. Suddenly, as if on cue, Vector appeared, crashing through the underbrush and leaping onto the larger crocodiles back. Before he could be thrown off, Vector had the creature in a lock, wrapping one arm under either of the huge reptiles upper limbs and locking his hands together behind his head. Espio dropped to the ground, coughing and rubbing his throat. The creature began flailing, releasing Big from the weight of its left foot. In spite of the severity of the situation, Vector was grinning, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary was taking place. Espio rushed to Amy's side, helping the pink hedgehog to her feet.

"Are you alright, Miss Rose?"

"Mm.. Yeah. I'm fine."

The blind chameleon turned toward his old friend, still holding onto the much larger crocodile with ease, despite the creatures violent attempts to shake him off. Infuriated, the beast charged off into the ruins again, crashing through the vines and old pillars, muddy earth flying through the air from its feet as it fled.

"I got this one, Espio!"

The horned ninja was dumbstruck by the level of coherency in the former detectives speech, the combination of shock and exhaustion causing him to stumble to the ground.

"Damn it!"

Amy moved to grab her hammer as she stood upright, but Espio caught her arm that was reaching for it.

"No. Weapons will only make it worse."

The pink hedgehog ripped her arm from Espio's grip, turning her frustrations on him.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

For a few moments, the blind lizard was silent. Then, standing himself, he quietly answered.

"That creature is afraid, Miss Rose. Terrified, in fact. If it sees you with that hammer, it will be that much more likely to attack. It acts almost exactly like Vector does whenever something frightens him."

The violet ninja turned in Amy's general direction.

"Please, both of you let me track it and find Vector. It'll be much less likely to feel threatened by something many times smaller than itself."

Amy sighed, looking toward the night sky, painfully aware of the nights waning hours.

"Even if the creature won't hurt you, how can you be so sure you'll be able to keep Vector under control?"

For the first time in years, the chameleon felt a genuine smile etch itself upon his face, turning invisible as he replied.

"Vector hasn't exhibited such mental stability for over a decade. I'm going to take my chances, and allow myself to trust him."

With that, he was off, silently chasing after his old friend. Meanwhile, much farther ahead, the creature continued to smash through anything in its path, sustaining dozens of minor cuts and bruises.

"Even after all these years, you still haven't learned how to break free of this hold, Vic."

Hearing Vectors words seemed to trigger something in the huge reptiles mind, as it suddenly came to a screeching halt. The beasts lassoed its long tail around Vectors, pulling with incredible strength, trying to force the former detective to loosen his grip. Although clearly straining with the effort required to maintain his hold, Vector spoke in a calm, almost soothing voice.

"I'm not letting go, Vic. You've gotta stop before you really hurt yourself."

The creature roared, gnashing its jaws together wildly, flailing in a desperate attempt to break free.

"Victor, I'm right here. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore."

Suddenly, the enormous crocodile froze. Slowly, its tail released Vector from its grip, every muscle in the creatures body losing tension, arms limp in Vectors hold.

"Vex?"

Vector dropped from his mount, looking into the huge reptiles eyes.

"That's it..."

Suddenly, the beast dropped to the ground on its hands and knees, groaning. It screamed, crying out in pain, louder and louder. Its body began to shrink in size and bulk, its tail shortening in length. When its cries finally died down to soft whimpering, it had become smaller than Vector, exhibiting several stretch marks on its scaly skin. As it fell forward, its limbs having given in to pain and exhaustion, Vector bent down, catching the smaller reptile in his arms. With a tearful smile creeping onto his face, Vector embraced the unconscious crocodile, whispering.

"I'm here, little bro. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5-Adaptation

**Part 1**

We resume our tale on Mobius, where we see Sonic and Tails, having managed to reach the Ice Cap Zone undetected.

* * *

"Have you picked up anything yet, Tails?"

Sonic felt his anxiety building steadily, mindful of the precious time left before dawn. The blue hedgehog felt immense gratitude for the lack of any type of storm, painfully aware of the increase in effort required to move his wheelchair through the snow. After several moments without any reply from his companion, the handicapped hero shifted his gaze behind him, halting dead in his tracks when he realized the young fox wasn't there.

"TAILS! Dammit…"

Pivoting the weight of his wheelchair onto on side, spinning himself around completely, Sonic retraced his tracks, berating himself for having sped ahead of his companion.

_'What the hell is wrong with me?! I KNOW better than to let him out of my sight!'_

Sonic gently slowed his pace to a complete stop, inhaled deeply, and focused his mind.

_'Okay, just calm down. He's not going to respond to Tails if he's gone through another transition…'_

Before the wheelchair-bound hedgehog could complete his thought, he heard Tails' voice from behind him.

"Sorry, Sonic. I… got distracted."

The handicapped hero turned to see the twin-tailed fox standing behind him, an apologetic expression on his face.

"Don't scare me like that. I thought you'd run off."

Tails smiled sadly, tilting his head back, staring up towards the night sky.

"I was just admiring the stars. You can't really see them clearly anywhere else anymore."

Sonic averted his gaze upward, and he immediately understood his friends sentiment.

"Do you remember that night before the attack ten years ago? It was just like tonight…"

The blue hedgehog placed a hand on his companions shoulder, his eyes intense as he spoke.

"We'll talk about it later. There's only an hour or two left before dawn."

Tails gave an affirmative nod, but sighed, having heard those same words many times, knowledgeable that it really meant to focus on the task at hand. Sonic had never much been one for dwelling on events that happened a long time ago, and certainly never one to openly discuss such events with others.

"Good. Lead the way."

Tails gazed at the built-in radar on his arm cannon, Sonic following quietly in his wake.

_'Sorry, little buddy. I know it hurts like hell, believe me. I hate having to avoid the subject all the time. The best I can do is help teach you how to adapt.'_

**Part 2**

"There he is…"

Sonic looked toward where Tails was indicating, simultaneously proud and saddened by the lack of emotion in his young friends voice. The duo slowly approached the rusting metal shell of Omega, the paint that had colored the androids body having all but eroded from the snow and ice. Silence fell between Sonic and Tails, both momentarily lost in their own thoughts as they looked down upon the frozen machine. Sonic gently placed his hand on Tails' shoulder, nudging the young fox out of his trance.

"Start digging. I doubt we'll get more than one shot at this."

Tails nodded faintly, digging rapidly down into the snow surrounding the android as Sonic withdrew the power ring from his wrist, feeling its energy course through his veins as it glowed through the graying night.

"What exactly is your bright idea that we ran all the way out here for?"

Sonic smirked slightly as Tails freed Omega's metallic body from its icy prison.

"I was hoping we could give him a jump start."

"That's not gonna help him for more than a few seconds."

"I figured, but I was thinking we could time it so that when he does come back online, we could transfer whatever data is left in that iron head of his to your little watch computer."

Tails raised an eyebrow as the handicapped hedgehog moved around the android and began to disassemble its exterior.

"Sonic, since when did you start talking like me?"

The blue hero grinned, holding the golden power ring up to Omega's interior.

"You should try living with you for ten years and see if you don't get smarter."

Tails smiled lightly as he opened up Omega's head, reconfiguring the wiring of his RAM data storage, plugging it into the miniature hard drive that adorned his wrist. The prodigious fox rewired the android's interior to run off of the power ring's energy. The E-series robot's digital eyes lit up, the golden power ring humming as it temporarily resupplied the android's functions.

"Alright, you're in. Don't waste any time, just look for essentials."

Tails activated a digital display screen of Omega's data, scrolling swiftly through his RAM. With a quick hand, the twin-tailed fox downloaded dozens of files, sifting through thousands with expert efficiency. Suddenly, the display screen vanished, the androids voice piercing the Zones silence.

"UNAUTHORIZED DATA ACCESS. INITIATING SELF-DESTRUCT."

The RAM connector unplugged itself from Tails' miniature computer, sparks flying from the glowing power ring.

"TAILS! DIVE!"

Sonic gripped the edge of his armrests, propelling himself through the air by jerking his body forward with his arms. The blue hedgehog crashed into Tails and fell into the shallow trench of snow that Omega had been dug out of just as the android's body exploded. The handicapped hero jolted as a smoldering plate of metal landed near his head, the heat quickly melting the snow around it. Flipping himself onto his back, Sonic looked to Tails as he sat up.

"You alright?"

The young fox didn't respond for several seconds, his ears ringing slightly.

"Yeah…"

Sonic sighed, pulling himself up out of the small ditch, rolling into a sitting position as Tails wordlessly followed.

"Omega must have had his self destruct sequence preset in case he was re-activated."

The twin-tailed fox merely grunted in agreement, rolling Sonic's wheelchair back to him as he dug the steaming power ring out of the snow, replacing it around his wrist. The blue hedgehog twisted his arms behind him, gripping his mobile chairs armrests and flipping backwards into it. Sonic looked empathetically toward Tails, speaking quietly yet firmly.

"You know the rule; Only talk about the living."

Tails nodded solemnly, emotion leaking out in his expression. Sonic turned away from Omega's smoldering remnants, feeling drowsiness weigh down on his eyes as the stars of the evening faded in the bright gray twilight.


End file.
